Participants had an effervescent evening during the inaugural Virtual Valentine’s Champagne and Chocolate Tasting to benefit the Scholarship Foundation of Indian River County. Scott Schwartz and Mary Silva co-chaired the Zoom event, which had guests sipping on champagne and sparkling wines while nibbling on delectable chocolates.
The idea behind the event was to further the mission of the Scholarship Foundation to “offer hope, encouragement and scholarship opportunities to Indian River County students with financial need who demonstrate the desire and academic ability to succeed in pursuing a post-secondary education.”
Proceeds from the evening will help provide two-, three- and four-year scholarships for local students who meet the requirements.
Since its inception under the guidance of the late Dan Richardson in 1965, (then partnering with Dollars for Scholars), the Scholarship Foundation has awarded $12.4 million in need-based scholarships to 2,968 students.
Before popping the cork on the evening’s activities, guests viewed a brief video featuring former scholarship recipient Jennifer Asselin, a 2016 Indian River Charter High School graduate and Clemson University alum, who shared her college-to-career journey and spoke of how the scholarship had impacted her life.
With her sights targeted toward becoming an engineer one day, Asselin said she had her heart set on attending Clemson University in South Carolina.
“Clemson University was never something I could afford to attend on my own, and the Scholarship Foundation bridged the gap that I needed to make attending Clemson financially viable,” said Asselin.
After experiencing college to the fullest and obtaining her electrical engineering degree, Asselin applied and was granted a position in the United States Navy Naval Reactors program in Washington, D.C., where she is part of the team that supports the Nuclear Navy.
“Without the help of the Scholarship Foundation, I truly don’t think I would have had the opportunities I’ve had so far. I’m truly thankful, and I hope that my story shows how much of an impact this can make on the life of a student,” added Asselin.
An education of a different sort finished off the evening. Under the tutelage of Antonio DiCostanzo, a certified sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers, participants polished off more than a few bottles.
Tasting packages were filled with a sampling of confections from the Bruno Chocolate Factory in Fort Pierce that had been paired with a generous selection – one Champagne and three sparkling wines curated by Market in Vero Beach. All had been delivered to participants, so they had time to chill their bubbly.
“Bubbles and fizz make everyone happy,” said DiCostanzo, before paraphrasing a sentiment from Napoleon that, “‘In victory you drink champagne, but in loss, you need champagne.’
That speaks to the versatility of not only champagne but sparkling wines overall.” DiCostanzo shared other tidbits of information about the properties of sparkling wines, regions, types of grapes used, the difference between champagnes and other bubbly, and what each of the four evenings offerings paired well with.
For more information, visit sfindianriver.org.
Photos by Kaila Jones
